J.R.R Tolkien converts?

[theculturewarrior]

I am convinced that J.R.R. Tolkien's intercession was instrumental in my conversion. He [i]must[/i] have prayed for the people who read his books while he was alive, why would stop when he got to Heaven? For a long time, all I knew about good and evil I pretty much learned from the Lord of the Rings. I have an online friend who had a difficult conversion, and who was also obsessed with J.R.R. Tolkien's books for a while. I wonder if there is a trend.

Are you a tolkienite? Are you a convert? Post your comments here.

[homeschoolmom]

interesting... very interesting...

[RonRule]

I'm in RCIA right now.

I've read LOTR about 5 or 6 times over the past 10 years. Tolkien is definitely on the list of people that kept me from believing Catholicism was evil (along with John Michael Talbot)

[zabbazooey]

Most definitely. The whole balance of good & evil really struck a chord with me!

[theculturewarrior]

I'm going to bump this even though it's already at the top.

Bump!

:

[theculturewarrior]

I'm going to do an empirical study.

(I'm taking a research class next semester).

[cmotherofpirl]

I read LOTR and Mere Christianity every year, it keeps me grounded in reality.

[journeyman]

I read the covers off my first copy of LoTR - I think our 3rd or 4th set is still being read off and on

I hadn't throught about it, and don't think I can credit Tolkien for a conversion, but I agree that Tolkien's writings about good and evil are more acceptable to the majority of the world than are the tenets of Catholic liturgy . . . his images are not "messed up" with liturgical labels that might run afoul of the reformation

[hierochloe]

I went through a Tolkein obsession. All of you re-reading LOTR, I highly recommend reading The Silmarillion. It's the Middle Earth "Old Testament".

[photosynthesis]

Tolkein wasn't *that* instrumental in my conversion experience, but I do remember going to this Presbyterian church back in my church-hopping days, and they did an entire church service about Lord of the Rings. I really wasn't that into fantasy books at all (still am not too crazy about them) but I ended up reading LOTR soon enough... definitely saw some parallels with the Bible. I eventually came back to the Catholic Church, but didn't learn that Tolkein was Catholic until later.